steerageway

IPA: stˈɪrɪdʒweɪ

(nautical) The minimum speed of a ship, below which it does not answer the helm and cannot be steered.

Examples of "steerageway" in Sentences

Engines stopped and steerageway was lost.
TheS-570 was making just enough turns for steerageway.
“Maintain bare steerageway to keep us in this area,” Tombstone said.
“Maintain station with bare steerageway, aye, sir,” the Coast Guard Officer repeated.
Dorwan turned toward the end of the pier, watching as the vessel approached with bare steerageway.
They cut their electric motors back, slowed to steerageway, and that's why they disappeared off the scopes.
The Kilo submarine lingered ten miles away from the island, barely making steerageway through the silent ocean.
The Seastag moved slowly northward, then hove to off the southern breakwater, waiting, the paddle wheels turning just enough to keep the ship with bare steerageway.
Although the paddle wheels were beginning to pick up a slow and even rhythm, even Kharl could tell that the ship was losing headway and might soon even lose steerageway.
The Kilo was moving at steerageway just barely below the surface of the ocean, her antenna poking up above the surface for a scheduled communications break with the team ashore.